Source: CSO

The CSO reported today that its bi-annual comparison of prices in Dublin with those outside the capital, that in May 2009,average prices were compared for four selected services, all of which showed significantly higher average prices in Dublin. These services include cinema entrance (11.4% higher in Dublin), ladies' wash, cut & blow-dry (23.0% higher in Dublin), gents' dry haircut (18.8% higher in Dublin) and gents' wash, cut & blow-dry (47.7% higher in Dublin). Separately, the CSO reported Q1 2009 planning permissions were down 23.7%.

Ten of the eighteen meat products were more expensive in Dublin. The differences ranged from medium uncooked chicken which was 27.3% more expensive in Dublin to lambs' liver which was 7.5% cheaper in Dublin.

The CSO said of the 79 items included in its analysis, average prices were higher in Dublin for 51 items; lower for 27 items while one item was the same. 30 of the items had average prices which fell within a range of +/-3%. Average prices for another 34 items were more than 3% higher in Dublin compared with the rest of the country, while the remaining 15 items were more than 3% cheaper in Dublin.

Petrol prices were 2.1% higher in Dublin, while diesel was 1.7% more expensive.

CSO report

Q1 2009 planning permissions down 23.7%

The CSO also reported today that for the first quarter of 2009, Irish planning permissions were granted for 14,177 dwelling units, compared with 18,582 units for the same period in 2008, a decrease of 23.7%. .

The first quarter figures also show that:

Planning Permissions were granted for 10,256 houses in the first quarter of 2009 and 13,301 in the first quarter of 2008, a decrease of 22.9%.

Planning permissions were granted for 3,921 apartment units, compared with 5,281 units for the same period in 2008, a decrease of 25.8%.

One-off houses accounted for 19.3% of all new dwelling units granted planning permission in this quarter.

The total number of planning permissions granted for all developments was 7,486. This compares with 11,055 in the first quarter of 2008, a decrease of 32.3%.

Total floor area planned was 3,419 thousand sq. metres in the first quarter of 2009. Of this, 61.1% was for new dwellings, 25.4% for other new constructions and 13.4% for extensions. The total floor area planned decreased by 24.3% in comparison with the same quarter of 2008.

Planning Permissions for new buildings for Agriculture decreased to 127 this quarter. This compares to 658 permissions in the same quarter of 2008.